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Neighbouring realms
Angleadd is not an isolated kingdom existing in it's own, private part of the world. Over the years relations have been established with several other cultures, varying from peaceful trade to violent wars. Though not common in most smaller settlements, foreigners can be regularly seen in the larger cities and particularly in and around the trading-ports along the coast. Some foreigners have settled down amongst the population of the kingdom, while others operate as either merchants or mercenaries. Some tension exists between the different cultures, but most kingdom lords eagerly try to attract foreigners to their lands for the added trade they tend to bring. Agantar Agantar is a collection of city-states located far to the south of Angleadd. The Agans as they are called amongst the people of the kingdom are easily recognized when amongst their northern neighbours due to their much darker skin. With colourations ranging from light brown to almost pitch black they tend to draw quite a bit of attention to themselves, especially in rural areas. They are known as shrewd and mostly honorable traders, though some of them have been caught trying to bring exotic drugs and other less than legal items into the kingdom. The first contact with the Agans was made by sheer chance when a kingdom warship came across a badly damaged vessel outside the coast of the southern islands in 589. Having fled from pirates the wounded sailors were terrified when boarded by strange warriors, but luckily for them the captain of the ship was a honorable man and simply escorted them back to Caer Faarn for questioning. The jarl of Faarn was unsure what to do with the strange men, and the fact that they spoke a language nothing like the kingdom tongue made it very difficult to communicate. One of the bards at his court however made an effort to get to know them, and as time passed simple words were exchanged. As soon as the Agans discovered that they would not be prisoners or killed they became eager to learn about this new land. They chose to winter in Caer Faarn, and during that time the language barrier slowly started to diminish. Being traders at heart the sailors started bartering the stock from their ship in return for provisions and shelter, noticing with joy that the goods they offered brought great interest from the locals. When spring came around the jarl sent parts of his own fleet as escort to follow the Agans back to their homeland, bringing with them offers of trade and safe passage. Within a few decades this small offer of trade had turned into an extremely profitable venture for both nations. Overview The Agans tend to view the kingdom as a somewhat crude and barbaric place. In their homeland the trading guilds rule their cities, with extensive sets of laws made to protect the people and the state. The concept of hereditary rule and all judicial power residing with one person is completely alien to them, and many Agan traders have been shocked when they discover that a lord is in his full right to have them expelled from his land at a whim. The Angleadd concept of honor in battle is also a strange concept to them, and over the years scores of unfortunate envoys have found themselves dragged into a honor duel from making a noble feel slighted or insulted. This has led to the formation of the trade academies now being a prominent feature in many of their larger cities, with special attention being devoted to the strange customs and laws of Angleadd in order to keep their citizens safe from the barbarians. Slavery is legal in some of the cities of Agantar. It is not uncommon for poor families to sell relatives into servitude to get by or for people who owe large debts to give up their freedom. Criminals and enemies of the state are often sold off at large guild auctions, fueling much of the industry in and around the cities. Sadly this has resulted in a growing trend of illegal slavery, with raiders kidnapping people and selling them at hidden auctions. Slaves from Angleadd tend to be very popular. This has proven to be very dangerous for both the sellers and buyers however, since several punitive expeditions have been launched by the families of kidnapped kingdom citizens. The military of Agantar is little more than a citizen militia, supported by the personal guard of the guildmasters. The Agans tend to focus solely on their cities, leaving the surrounding countryside to fend for themselves. This is also one of the reasons why they fear the people of the kingdom, since even a single jarl can field almost as large an army as most city-states. This does not mean that the guilds are defenseless however, since even though they are few in number the troops of the guilds tend to be trained professionals with impressive discipline. Many former guardsmen have made a fortune as mercenaries in Angleadd, with some even managing to find a place in a noble's warband. The main trade between Agantar and the kingdom deals with weapons, metalwares and furs being shipped from Angleadd in return for glasswares, papyrus, spices and silk. Angleadd weaponry has become somewhat of a fashion item amongst the wealthy in Agantar, mainly because they are somewhat intrigued by the barbaric warrior nobles of the north, leading to the trend amongst kingdom craftsmen to produce special «Agan-swords». These are usually made more for show than use since the buyers would not know the proper way to wield them anyway. The Marayirr republic To the east of Angleadd lies the Marayirr republic, a nation dating back to long before the founding of the kingdom. The first contact between the two realms was rather violent, with the Marayirr attempting to found a colony on the east coast of the kingdom. The eastern lords responded with anger when it became clear that the republic had plans on securing lands that had been granted to one of their peers, demanding that the foreigners abandon their project and leave kingdom soil. The newly appointed governor of the colony refused to be ordered around by a group of what he thought to be a disgruntled natives and ordered his troops to chase them off. Seeing the ranks of legionaires march from the city made the Angleadd troops retreat, resulting in the governor declaring it a victory and celebrating their conquest of this new land. This act had infuriated the kingdom lords however, and as word reached the nearest jarls a massive army was raised. The Marayirr governor was shocked as his city suddenly was besieged by a heavily armed army numbering thousands of soldiers. Still refusing to believe the might of the republic could be challenged by any outside force he once again ordered his legion to sally forth and break the siege. What followed was a brutal battle with heavy losses on both sides, but in the end the kingdom troops pushed through the legion and laid waste to the city. All the survivors were loaded on ships and sent back to their homeland, bringing with them the news that Angleadd did not look kindly upon anyone intruding on their lands. In the following century the two realms were at war with battles mostly being fought at sea between kingdom raiders and republic warships. Several kingdom lords become extremely wealthy raiding the waters outside Marayirr territory, but as the years went by the number of raids grew fewer and fewer as new members took seats in the Marayirr senate and began campaigning for an end to the pointless hostilities. In the year 846 a treaty was finally signed, followed by an uneasy peace settlement. Overview Marayirr is ruled by an elected chancellor who serves as leader of the senate for ten years. The constant shift of power between the different chancellors and political powers has led to politics being one of the main focuses amongst the wealthy and powerful in Marayirr. Bribes, threats, blackmail and even murder are common during every election, and the great families of the republic are constantly fighting for position within the senate. There has been situations where the imperial legions have had to step in to restore order when the rivalry has gotten out of hand. The legions are the pride of the republic and its main military force. Each legion consists of a thousand soldiers supported by hundreds of auxilliaries and support personell, and close to 50 legions are stationed throughout the republic at all times. The best and the brightest amongst the legions are placed in the Phoenix guard, the ten thousand soldiers who defend the capital, the central provinces and the senate. Unlike the armies of the kingdom who are under the command of the different lords, and above them the king, the legions are commanded by the high command. The high command is a special triumvirate of officers who are elected from the various commanders in the republic, with each legion commander having the right to vote. Though the final say rests with the triumvirate, customs and tradition dictates that they follow the senate's commands. The republic has never been much of a sea-faring nation. This was one of the reasons the kingdom managed to fight them off during the war between the two realms, and has led to some contempt from the legions since they view themselves as the greatest fighting force in the known land. Being ever practical the senate used the peace treaty as an opportunity to hire shipwrights from the kingdom to work on improving the cumbersome galleys the republic had been using up to that point. Still no match for the deadly warships of the kingdom, later years have seen the republic navy taking firm control over their own waters and also sending expeditions in search of new lands to either claim or establish contact with. Marayirr is a huge country with many different cultures all mashed up into what is known as the average republic citizen. With climates ranging from almost tropical to near subarctic, the people of the republic comes in all types of colouration. The southern people of the republic are usually deeply tanned and wear loose-fitting garments from light materials, while to the north you find light-skinned and fair citizens very similar to many of the kingdom inhabitants. The meltingpot of cultures has led to some unrest between factions and families, and many of the inner legions spend most of their time keeping the peace between them. Republic craftsmen and engineers are amongst the finest in the known world, with many who lack the backing of wealthy patrons seeking their luck in the kingdom. Several of these have made a fortune working for the more influental lords of Angleadd, improving on the infrastructure and planning of their cities. Where kingdom builders are more adept at constructing battlements and fortifications, republic engineers build roads, aqueducts, sewers and other forms of precision work and beautifications. The markets of the republic is by far the largest in the entire region, with an unsatable need for goods from all parts of the world. The trade with the republic has been a massive boon to the eastern parts of the kingdom, helping with the development of the somewhat scantily populated regions there. Raw materials of all kinds are especially needed by the republic, with fine products like art and luxuries being offered in return.